Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Ben McLemore Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison Following Rape Conviction

July 9th, 2025 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

A week after being found guilty of raping a woman in 2021, former NBA guard Ben McLemore has been sentenced to 100 months (eight years and four months) in Oregon state prison, according to reports from Luisa Anderson of KGW News and Baxter Holmes of ESPN.

McLemore initially faced four criminal changes stemming from an incident that occurred at a Lake Oswego house party nearly five years ago. He was found guilty on one charge of first-degree rape, one charge of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of second-degree sexual abuse, with the jury finding him not guilty on an additional count of second-degree sexual abuse.

The incident occurred in October 2021 at the home of Robert Covington, McLemore’s teammate on the Trail Blazers at the time. A grand jury heard the case in February 2024, including testimony from the woman who accused McLemore of assaulting her, which led to an indictment against him and a warrant for his arrest.

As Holmes outlines, the prosecution told jurors during the trial that the victim passed out on a living room couch at the party around 2:00 am, incapacitated due to heavy drinking, and regained partial consciousness the next morning when McLemore penetrated her with his fingers and began having sex with her.

McLemore’s attorneys disputed that version of events, claiming she initiated sexual contact and consented to it, and asserting that she was sober enough to give consent even though both she and McLemore were intoxicated.

McLemore, 32, was the seventh overall pick in the 2013 draft. He appeared in 556 regular season NBA games for the Kings, Grizzlies, Rockets, Lakers, and Blazers from 2013-22, averaging 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. He has been out of the league since his contract with Portland expired in 2022.

Groups Set For 2025 NBA Cup

July 9th, 2025 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced the six groups of five teams apiece for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament (Twitter link).

In order to set the groups, the league splits the Western and Eastern Conferences into five three-team tiers based on last season’s regular season standings, with one club from each tier randomly drawn into each of the conference’s three groups.

For instance, the top three teams from the West will all be in separate groups, with each of those three groups also featuring one team in the 4-6 range, one in the 7-9 range, and so on.

Here are the groups for the 2025 NBA Cup:

West Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder (1), Minnesota Timberwolves (6), Sacramento Kings (9), Phoenix Suns (11), Utah Jazz (15)
West Group B: Los Angeles Lakers (3), Los Angeles Clippers (5), Memphis Grizzlies (8), Dallas Mavericks (10), New Orleans Pelicans (14)
West Group C: Houston Rockets (2), Denver Nuggets (4), Golden State Warriors (7), Portland Trail Blazers (12), San Antonio Spurs (13)
East Group A: Cleveland Cavaliers (1), Indiana Pacers (4), Atlanta Hawks (8), Toronto Raptors (11), Washington Wizards (15)
East Group B: Boston Celtics (2), Detroit Pistons (6), Orlando Magic (7), Brooklyn Nets (12), Philadelphia 76ers (13)
East Group C: New York Knicks (3), Milwaukee Bucks (5), Chicago Bulls (9), Miami Heat (10), Charlotte Hornets (14)

The round-robin group play games will be starting a little earlier than usual this season and will run from October 31 to November 28. Each team will face the other four clubs in its group once, with the winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference advancing to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.

The full schedule of group play games can be viewed right here.

The quarterfinals will be played on December 9-10, with the semifinals and final to follow on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively, in Las Vegas. The knockout round games will all be aired by one of the NBA’s new broadcasting partners, Amazon Prime.

The Bucks won last season’s NBA Cup, with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo earning MVP honors after leading Milwaukee to a victory over the Thunder in the championship game.

Blazers, Celtics Finalize Holiday, Simons Trade Without Draft Picks

July 7th, 2025 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers and Celtics have officially completed their trade sending Jrue Holiday to Portland and Anfernee Simons to Boston, according to a press release from the Blazers.

However, the terms are slightly different than what was reported last month. Portland had originally agreed to send the Knicks’ 2030 second-round pick and the Blazers’ own 2031 second-rounder to Boston, but those draft assets are no longer in the deal, which is now a straight one-for-one player swap.

Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian hears from a source that a review of Holiday’s medicals prompted the Blazers to alter the initial terms of the agreement.

There wasn’t enough concern on Portland’s end to nix the deal entirely, Fentress explains, adding that the veteran guard is considered healthy and is working out this summer in preparation for training camp in the fall.

As a result of taking back more salary than they’re sending out in the trade, the Trail Blazers are now hard-capped at the first tax apron for the rest of the 2025/26 league year.

The Celtics, meanwhile, have officially completed both of their major offseason trades on Monday, having also finalized the three-team deal sending Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta.

You can read more about the Holiday/Simons swap in our original report on the deal.

Northwest Notes: Holmes, Alexander-Walker, Hansen, Johnson

July 6th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

While much of the offseason discussion about the Nuggets‘ big man situation revolved around Jonas Valanciunas and whether he’ll stay with the team after he’s officially traded from Sacramento to Denver, the club is also set to receive some frontcourt health in the return of DaRon Holmes II, the 22nd pick in the 2024 draft.

Holmes missed the entirety of his rookie year after rupturing his Achilles in his 2024 Summer League debut, but he’s now healed and ready to make an imprint on the Nuggets’ roster.

“I think being in the weight room, adding some muscle to my game, and just learning our system, learning our plays, I’m feeling more confident knowing what I need to do now,” he said to Katy Winge of Altitude TV (Twitter video link). “And my passing game, I think, has gotten a lot better.”

Holmes also spoke about his ability to slide between frontcourt positions as needed.

“Anywhere they put me, I’ll be comfortable playing,” he said. “I spent a lot of the summertime playing the five, now I’m going to get back to playing the four. So I think I’ll be playing both... I trust the coaching staff, I trust this team, organization, so I’m excited to get out there.”

After adding Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr., who will join incumbents like Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther, the Nuggets’ bench is taking shape, but there is still room for Holmes to carve out a role for himself.

We have more news from the Northwest division:

Nickeil Alexander-Walker was a true success story for the Timberwolves, writes The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. Included as a throw-in from the Mike Conley trade, Alexander-Walker quickly righted the ship of his career, which was veering into rocky journeyman territory, and became a fan favorite and defensive stalwart for the back-to-back Western Conference finalists. While Alexander-Walker is headed to the Hawks, his fourth team in seven seasons, Krawczynski writes that he’s doing so in a very different light, as one of the Wolves’ greatest development stories, and a truly introspective, thoughtful basketball player who will be missed in the Twin Cities.
Yang Hansen is facing probably the steepest learning curve of anyone from the 2025 draft, but the Trail Blazers‘ big man out of China has hit the ground running in the practices ahead of his first Summer League, writes Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “He was impressive, but there are also things he’s going to learn really quickly,” said Blazers Summer League head coach Ronnie Burrell. “He’s expected to have some struggles and also have some success. But he looked good today.” Burrell has been most impressed with Hansen’s ability to navigate the culture shock. “This is all new to him, the language, the culture. And he handles it amazingly,” Burrell said, as reported by Aaron Fentress of Oregon Live. “The kid has maturity, and he’s got character, and he’s picking up things fast.”
After being traded from the Nets to the Nuggets, Cam Johnson is ready to do what he always has done best: work. Bennett Durando of the Denver Post writes that beyond his lethal three-point shooting and cerebral approach to the game, it’s the diligence that stands out as Johnson’s superpower. “The reason he’s in the NBA is because the guy works,” his high school coach Mike Rodriguez said. “Not because of his size. Not because of his shooting. I mean, that man works.” While the work got him to where he is, it’s his instincts and mind for the game that make him such a tantalizing fit in Denver. “We weren’t really a set-heavy team, so we liked to play fast and run secondary break,” UNC assistant coach Brad Frederick said. “A lot of what he got in terms of open shots was just because he was able to kind of create his own looks and because he was able to run the floor so well. We could pitch it ahead to him for shots.” That ability to read the game should make him a perfect fit next to Nikola Jokic.

Lakers Notes: Ayton, Brooks, Robinson, Summer League

July 6th, 2025 at 10:38am CST by Rory Maher

Former Lakers big man and longtime radio analyst Mychal Thompson thinks fellow Bahamian Deandre Ayton will be the “perfect center” for Los Angeles, he tells Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.

Still, Thompson readily acknowledges that Ayton has “underachieved” to this point in his career and says it’s up to the 26-year-old to show he can consistently play at a high level.

“They’re not wrong to say, ‘Show me.’” Thompson said of skeptical fans. “I don’t blame them for saying that because (Ayton has) shown glimpses of how good he can be. He’s an All-Star talent, but he has to do it over an 82-game schedule and do it consistently. So I don’t blame people for being a little skeptical about him. But I have faith in him. I know he’s going to prove to everybody how good he is.”

Here are a few more notes on the Lakers:

In addition to star guard Luka Doncic, assistant coach Scott Brooks is believed to have advocated for the Lakers to sign Ayton, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). Brooks coached Ayton for one season in Portland. Stein also hears that Ayton requested the buyout he agreed to with the Trail Blazers.
The Lakers are hiring Justin Robinson as a player development coach, Duke’s men’s basketball program announced (via Twitter). Robinson spent five seasons at Duke as a player, finishing out his career in 2019/20. The 28-year-old played three professional seasons in Montenegro and Israel before returning to Duke as a coach — his title was director of player development — in November 2023. Lakers head coach JJ Redick is a former Blue Devil, so he’s undoubtedly familiar with Robinson, who is the son of Hall of Famer David Robinson.
Former Laker Cole Swider and ex-Bulls guard DJ Steward were standout performers in the Lakers’ first summer league game on Saturday, a loss to Golden State at the California Classic. Micheel Alharazy of The Los Angeles Times has the story and the quotes.

Scotto’s Latest: Rollins, Hornets, Bucks, Ayton, Valanciunas

July 4th, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

After having his qualifying offer withdrawn by the Bucks earlier this week, free agent guard Ryan Rollins is drawing interest from a handful of teams around the NBA, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who says the Suns, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Lakers are among the clubs with Rollins on their radar.

A reunion with Milwaukee also hasn’t been ruled out either, Scotto reports. Even after rescinding his qualifying offer and making him an unrestricted free agent, the Bucks are in position to hang onto Rollins’ Early Bird rights, which would allow them to go over the cap to re-sign him after they use up all their room.

Portland still has its $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception available, while San Antonio and Los Angeles have the $5.1MM bi-annual exception on hand, Scotto writes. However, the Suns could only offer more than a minimum-salary deal if they shed salary — perhaps via a Bradley Beal buyout agreement.

Rollins had a modest breakout year this past season, registering averages of 6.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, along with a shooting line of .487/.408/.800. He had only made 25 appearances across two NBA seasons prior to 2024/25.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Examining the Hornets‘ roster crunch, Scotto identifies Josh Okogie and DaQuan Jeffries – who are on non-guaranteed contracts – as candidates to be waived if no trade opportunities involving them arise. Executives who spoke to HoopsHype also view former first-round pick Nick Smith Jr. as a player who could be traded. That applies to veterans on expiring contracts like Pat Connaughton and Collin Sexton as well.
Before he agreed to re-sign with the Hornets, point guard Tre Mann received interest from the Bucks, Scotto reports. Milwaukee is in the market for additional point guard depth after losing Damian Lillard to an Achilles tear and subsequently planning to waive him.
Echoing reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Scotto says that teams who reached out to Trail Blazers officials for feedback on Deandre Ayton got positive reviews on the big man, who was a “community staple in Portland and hosted many team bonding events.” Reporting from The Athletic had suggested that Ayton’s attitude and bad habits played a part in the decision to part ways with him.
Addressing the Jonas Valanciunas situation, Scotto notes that the Nuggets have tried to acquire the veteran center for the past couple years and have envisioned him playing a significant role if he reports to Denver, giving superstar Nikola Jokic more opportunities to rest. Amid rumors that Valanciunas is traveling to Greece and hopes to sign with the EuroLeague club Panathinaikos, Scotto hears that the 33-year-old is expected to address the situation soon.

Trail Blazers Announce Signings Of Hansen Yang, Caleb Love

July 1st, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Trail Blazers have signed first-round pick Hansen Yang to a rookie scale contract and undrafted free agent Caleb Love to a two-way deal, the team announced in a pair of press releases.

Yang, 20, is a 7’1″ center who starred with the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was selected as CBA Rising Star of the Year the past two seasons and Defensive Player of the Year in 2023/24. He has also been a CBA All-Star in both his years with Qingdao.

Like all first-round picks, Yang is eligible for up to 120% of the NBA’s rookie scale salary. Assuming he gets the full amount, he’ll make $4.4MM in his first season and $21.4MM over the four years of his contract.

Love played at Arizona, where he was named Pac 12 Player of the Year in 2024 and earned a spot on the All-Big 12 team this season. Love played three years at North Carolina before transferring, and the Blazers note that he’s the 13th player in NCAA history to reach 1,000 points with two schools.

Free Agent Rumors: Ayton, Westbrook, Horford, Heat, Beasley

July 1st, 2025 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Exploring the Trail Blazers‘ decision to buy out Deandre Ayton so early in the offseason, Jason Quick of The Athletic cites sources who say that Ayton’s attitude was a factor in Portland’s willingness to move on.

As Quick details, the former No. 1 overall pick was reportedly late to team flights and practices, skipped injury rehab appointments, and threw “tantrums” in the locker room when he was benched for poor effort. He also had little self-awareness about his role, says Quick, having envisioned himself as the team’s “cornerstone” when he joined the Blazers ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Teams with interest in the veteran center will have to weigh whether or not Ayton’s baggage is worth his talent after Phoenix and Portland both eventually determined it wasn’t, Quick writes.

Here are a few more free agency notes and rumors from around the NBA:

Although they’ve reached a deal to sign Dennis Schröder to their backcourt, the Kings still have interest in signing free agent point guard Russell Westbrook too, league sources tell NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Stein also notes (via Twitter) that Al Horford continues to be a top target for the Warriors, as reported on Monday. One source who spoke to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe suggested Golden State is the frontrunner for Horford, though several other teams remain in the mix. The Warriors are in the market for frontcourt help following the departure of Kevon Looney to New Orleans.
While Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga would “love” for the Heat to pursue him, they haven’t done so to this point, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Miami also hasn’t been seeking a trade for Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, Jackson adds.
Malik Beasley‘s offseason has been a nightmare so far. In addition to being the subject of an investigation related to gambling allegations, the free agent wing is facing a lawsuit from his former marketing agency, Hazan Sports Management Group, which is seeking $2.25MM in damages and legal fees for breach of contract. David Purdum of ESPN, who has the full details on the suit, says Hazan Sports alleges Beasley was dealing with “financial issues” when it took him on as a client in 2023.

Pre-FA Rumors: LeBron, Ayton, Knicks, Kennard, Rozier

June 30th, 2025 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the fact that Rich Paul‘s statement accompanying LeBron James‘ opt-in on Sunday raised eyebrows around the NBA, that doesn’t mean that there are any active trade talks involving the Lakers star, NBA insider Chris Haynes said during an appearance on NBA TV (Twitter video link).

“(Paul) told me there have been no trade discussions, there have been no trade talks with the Lakers,” Haynes said. “People have been speculating on certain teams that he might be interested in. I’m told all that talk is false. There has been no trade talks.

“… He clearly opted in and he wants to win. He believes the Lakers have what it takes to maximize Luka (Doncic)‘s timeline, but also maximize and prioritize his timeline.”

While trade speculation has run rampant since Paul asserted that James will be closely monitoring the Lakers’ offseason moves, it hasn’t been uncommon over the years for LeBron to publicly or privately put pressure on his teams to upgrade their respective rosters — he never requested a trade in any of those instances. This may simply be a case of him making sure Los Angeles does all it can to build a roster capable of contending in what could be James’ final NBA season.

With free agency set to officially open at the top of the hour, here are a few rumors – about free agents and other topics – from around the NBA:

During his NBA TV spot (Twitter video link), Haynes also said that there’s a “strong possibility” of Deandre Ayton joining the Lakers in free agency. The former No. 1 overall pick gave up $10MM in his buyout agreement with the Trail Blazers, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
After previous reports indicated that Russell Westbrook and Jordan Clarkson are expected to be among the guards on the Knicks‘ radar in free agency, Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link) says the team’s interest in Westbrook is mutual, while Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link) says the same of Clarkson.
In addition to confirming several previously reported teams who have interest in sharpshooter Luke Kennard – including Denver, Atlanta, Houston, and New York – Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) adds the Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Pistons to the list of suitors for the 29-year-old. Scotto also reiterates, as he reported earlier, that Kennard isn’t expected to return to Memphis.
During a discussion on The Pat McAfee Show about the federal probe into Malik Beasley for gambling allegations, ESPN’s Shams Charania suggested that Heat guard Terry Rozier may be out of the woods in regard to a similar investigation into him. “Terry Rozier, as of right now, has been cleared,” Charania said. “… There’s really nothing active, as of right now, with him.” Since Charania mentioned this in passing rather than explicitly reporting it, we should probably take it with a grain of salt rather than treating it as a formal update, but it sounds like it could be a promising development for Rozier.

Lakers Expect To Lose Finney-Smith, Add Free Agent Center

June 30th, 2025 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are preparing to lose free agent forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who has received strong interest from the Rockets, but his departure will open up a salary slot in their pursuit of a center, sources tell Dan Woike of The Athletic.

The Bucks‘ Brook Lopez and the Hawks‘ Clint Capela are among their targets, according to Woike, along with Deandre Ayton, who reached a buyout agreement with the Trail Blazers on Sunday. L.A. will have the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception available as it goes shopping for a big man.

Woike hears that the Lakers want to preserve their future cap space in hopes of landing another star to pair with Luka Doncic, possibly next summer, so any deal with a center might be short term.

Lopez played for the Lakers during the 2017/18 season and has frequently been mentioned as a possibility to return. The 37-year-old is likely the best outside shooter on the market, connecting at 37.3% this season while averaging 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 80 games.

Capela, 31, would bring more of a shot-blocking presence. He has been one of the league’s top rebounders, especially on the offensive glass, since coming to Atlanta in 2020, but his numbers were down across the board this season as his playing time declined to 21.4 minutes per night.

Ayton missed more than half the season due to a calf strain, but he’s only 26 and has put up good numbers when healthy throughout his career. The Lakers wouldn’t be able to reach a deal with Ayton until he completes the waiver process.

A source tells Woike that L.A. isn’t making calls to determine Austin Reaves‘ trade value after he turned down a four-year, $89MM extension offer. The Lakers still consider Reaves to be part of the future, per Woike, and expect to sign him to a larger deal when he becomes eligible.

As for Finney-Smith, Marc Stein – who previously identified the Rockets as a leading suitor for the veteran forward – reiterates (via Twitter) that the team is believed to readying a four-year contract offer for him. That offer is expected to be worth a significant portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.